Kelley the Counselor
Weekly Check In
Week 10- Reflection
Hello Renbrook students and families!
It’s hard to believe that we have been learning and working from home now for almost three months. We have experienced something unprecedented, which makes it even more difficult to push through. Over the past few weeks I’ve written about topics such as stress, growth mindset, navigating relationships, gratitude, and so on. I want to bundle all of that together this week and focus on something that all of you should do each and every year; and that is reflection.
As educators, we are asked to reflect all the time and it is often second nature. How did that lesson go? How can I improve this unit for next year, etc. Some of you may have even done this after a project. End of year reflections are different though and require much more time and thought. It’s easy to let a whole year go by and never take the time to reflect on what you’ve learned—and I’m not just talking about what you studied in school. This year is unique, and I want you to think about some of the things you learned over the past school year while we were on campus, as well as in the past three months. We’ve been in and out of school this year, but our learning has not stopped. We have adapted to this “new normal” and have come out on the other side. There have been bumps, stressful moments, and it has not been easy. However, if you reflect back on what we’ve accomplished, it’s quite a lot. We’ve taken our routines that we were once used to, and figured out how to make it work under these circumstances. We started the year on campus, in the classroom, and now our classroom looks a lot different. But as I reflect on these differences, I find that there has been a lot of good that has occurred. I’ve prioritized things differently and have learned a lot about making the best out of a difficult situation.
I know these last days of school can be very tiring- final assignments, projects and such, but I encourage you to carve out time for reflection. While we are learning more about the virus each day, there are still many unknowns. Things will likely look different when we return to campus in the fall, and reflecting on this experience will be tremendously helpful moving forward. Remembering your challenges and how you showed grit will benefit you in the future.
Please consider trying some of the activities I’ve included this week as we bring the 2019-2020 year to a close. While the end to this year is not what any of us envisioned months ago, use this experience as a chance to move forward into the summer with a renewed sense of purpose. No matter how you felt about this year, take what you’ve learned and use it in your daily life. Maybe this means that we do not take school for granted. Maybe it means that time with family and friends is not something to waste. Maybe it means that we pay more attention to everything happening around us. Either way, you won’t know until you start reflecting, so let’s get going!
Have a great week Hawks!
End of Year Reflection Pages- Check Them Out!
Letter to Your Future Self Activity
Relevant Quotes
Reflection Meditation
Contact Me
Email: kreiss@renbrook.org
Website: https://teams.microsoft.com/_#/conversations/?ctx=chat
Location: Renbrook School, Albany Avenue, West Hartford, CT, USA